Report Claims Liverpool Were Dealt Bitter Blow by Lyon After Pulling Out of Nabil Fekir Negotiations

Liverpool are believed to have come very close to sealing a deal for Lyon and France star attacker Nabil Fekir this summer, but supporters were shocked to learn that the Anfield side pulled the plug on proceedings.

Certain sources claimed that a knee injury was the cause of talks breaking down between the two clubs, with the Reds understood to be hesitant over the fitness issue. However, Express Sport are claiming that the player was fit enough to pass a medical, while Fekir himself has denied that his knee had anything to do with the deal going south.

The midfielder, currently on international duty for France at the 2018 World Cup, has insisted that his knee feels "super good" ahead of Les Bleus clash with Peru on Thursday.

“My knee is super good. We work a lot on it, we reinforce it," he declared. “But I honestly feel like before my injury.”

Despite pulling out of the deal, the Reds are still being linked with Fekir and are now understood to still be interested, with his agent suggesting that a transfer could still happen.

Aurelien Meunier/GettyImages

But the Liverpool Echo are reporting that the French club warned them off the player, telling them not to bother coming back in the wake of the failed negotiations.

Lyon have apparently informed Jurgen Klopp's side of their unwillingness to re-enter discourse over the 24-year-old, leaving them to pursue alternative targets instead. Fekir's international teammate Ousmane Dembele has since been linked, while Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez has also been listed as a target for the Champions League finalists.

Nabil Fékir's agent Jean-Pierre Bernes tonight on French TV on why his client didn't sign for Liverpool: "Um he didn't sign because um... it is not over! This is not the end of the story." (@gffn)